Thursday, November 19, 2015

BS Sessions - Gelatos Tutorial 101



Welcome, Friendly Friends to the
third installment of the BS Sessions!



What are the BS Sessions? Well Samantha knows how to work a marker like nobody's business and Becca loves to get messy with mixed media. We both wanted to learn the other person's crafty secrets so we're going to ask one another a question on the last Thursday of the month. Becca will provide you with some amazing Mixed Media techniques and Samantha will show you some tips and tricks about coloring! We'll both provide our followers with a little tutorial, because if we have these questions - our followers might too!

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Which brings me to this month's question, asked by Sammy:


How do you use gelatos? What are some different things you can do with them?


Gelatos! I love them! Next to Distress Inks, they're probably my very favorite crafty supply because there is SO much you can do with them. 

Things to know about Gelatos:
>They have the consistency of soft crayons
>You don't have to be gentle with them. Definitely scribble away!
>They are reactive with water

Some of the things I'm going to show you have been published on my blog before, but I thought it would be helpful to compile a whole list of them right here. 
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Making Backgrounds with Gelatos

If you're looking for quick and easy way to make a background that's also super stunning, look no further. 


One thing I would HIGHLY suggest when using this technique is to paint the cardstock with a thin layer of gesso first. Gesso seals the tiny holes of the cardstock, so the gelatos will blend together more easily, rather than being absorbed right away. 

  

Background on the left is made without gesso - 
background on the right is with gesso. 
As you can see - background two is much better. 
I scribbled on some gelatos and blended them together with my fingers. I wanted it to look distressed, so I wiped away a little bit of the background with a baby wipe.

To see how this background got turned into a card - check out this blog post.  
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Making Drips With Gelatos

As I said earlier, gelatos are reactive with water, which means you can do some really cool techniques! One of my favorites is making drips. For this technique, it's almost essential to base your cardstock with gesso, or the drips will not go as far and will not blend well. 


To achieve this effect, scribble gelatos across the top (in this case I used three shades of purple and a gold). Next, use a mini mister to spritz the gelatos strip with water and hold it vertically so that the water can drip down the paper. Add more or less water based on the effect you want to achieve. 

To see the card I made with this panel, check out this blog post.
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Watercoloring with Gelatos

You can use gelatos exactly like you use watercolors in a couple of different ways. 

You can either draw directly onto an image and then paint over it with a watery paintbrush or waterbrush pen to blend:


Or, for more precise watercoloring, you can scribble some gelatos onto a clear acrylic block (or any surface) and then mix the colors with a little water and pick up with a paintbrush.

 

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Using Gelatos to Color Texture Paste, Gel Medium, or Gesso

Gelato shavings can be used as a coloring agent by mixing with any wet or liquid product. 



Shave some of the gelato stick into the texture paste (or gesso, gel medium, etc) and mix thoroughly. Obviously, the more of the stick you use, the deeper the color tone will be. I only used a little bit of the dark blue, so I wound up with a lovely pale blue in the end. 

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These are just of the few ways to use gelatos! There are so many possibilities! You can use them to color almost anything in a quick but stunning way! 

If you'd like to see all of the projects I've made with gelatos, you can check out my gelatos project library

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Now - if you're interested in improving your coloring skills, make sure you head on over to Sammy's blog 
because she's answered my question:



What the heck does a blender pen do? Do I need one?




31 comments:

  1. This is a great tutorial. I don't have any of these yet but I just may have to add this to my Christmas list

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  2. Ohhhhh the blue mixed is awesome!!!!

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  3. Becca...this is awesome. I was gifted 2 gelatos some time back but other than mixing them into some whipped spackle I havent really used them to their full potential. Loved how you showcased the different techniques. Thank you so much ! Pinning it
    Cheers
    Dr Sonia

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  4. Geesh, you make using Gelatos effortless. Me? Not so much! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  5. So helpful! Thanks so much, really want to try out some Gelatos!
    ~kim

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  6. What an awesome tutorial!! You've made me want to run to my craft room and play with my gelatos!! I really love the idea of shaving some off and mixing with texture paste!! Thanks for the inspiration my friend!! All of your projects are stunning!! Have a great day :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  7. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this tutorial, Becca!!!! You have inspired me to have a look if I can get hold of some gelatos locally!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!!! I'm off to Sammy's blog!!!
    Have a great day!!!!!

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  8. I really do enjoy these posts.... AND it gives me ideas....rainbows have been swirling around the brain. Oh, I should have said I've been on a brain BENDER thinking about rainbows;)!!!! That thank you card took me one step closer. So .errrm.......thank you!!!!!!

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  9. Dang it! I knew that this tutorial would make me want Gelatos! Good thing Christmas is right around the corner! :D I LOVE this and I can't wait to get my hands on some of these. Thanks for yet another amazing tutorial!

    Hugs,
    Sammy

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  10. Thanks so much for the tutorial! I never ever knew about the Gesso and adding it first to a card. I can see that this would make them blend easier. I'll have to try it again now. Never could get mine to look like it should.
    Lynn

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  11. This is a great tutorial! My few gelato are rather neglected, I have to say. I definitely like the idea of blending them with embossing paste!

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  12. never thought to use them with the paste for stenciling--cool!

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  13. Thank you for sharing soooo many uses of gelatos Becca! It is so much appreciated...I am thinking of buying them soon! ;)
    Suchi xx

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  14. many many thanks for sharing Becca
    I never buy gelatos
    and I always AMAZE looking at your mixed media project
    thanks sweety
    will catch up soon
    My hubby is in Malaysia
    also i am alone for a week with two boys (11 and 8 ) too bussyyy hehehe

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  15. Thanks for sharing the tips Becca! I have to admit that I don't own any Gelatos but they are on my "must have" list.

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  16. Becca...thank you for this. I have had a full set of Gelatos and Caran D'Ache crayons that I have barely used. Maybe now I will.

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  17. Great tutorial Becca. I have just recently discovered the Faber Castell gelatos and I've been having tons of fun with them. Great techniques I will be sure to try. hugs :)

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  18. Love the tutorial! Thank you for sharing.

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  19. Great tutorial Becca, mine don't get nearly as much action as they should! Carol x

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  20. TFS this tutorial Becca! You make it look so easy!!

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  21. You know when I see the word "gelato" the first thing that pops into my head is Italian icecream :-) Great tutorial Becca. Love all the different backgrounds you can create. You made it look so easy, I may just attempt playing with them :-)
    Hugs,
    Lena
    Lena’s Creations

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  22. Love using my gelato's but not often enough. This is awesome and love the tut... You rock and No "BS" about this one lol...xx
     { aNNie}

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  23. Thank you, girls, for these wonderful BS sessions!! This was so informative. I've had the darn things and I just basically look at them and think, "Now what?!" I'm pinning this to my Pinterest Tutorial Board! You're the best!! Happy Thanksgiving and happy first snows of winter!! Hugs, Darnell

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  24. Great tutorial, Becca! Time to dust off my gelatos and get to work :)

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  25. Thank you Becca - you have encouraged me to get my gelatos out and try again :-)
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  26. Excellent Tut'! Thank you so much Becca.
    You are a true inspiration!
    HUgs~

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  27. Fun!! I'm very gelato challenged. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  28. QUE IDEAS TAN MARAVILLOSAS, MUCHAS GRACIAS...FELICITACIONES

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  29. Um how do you order them in a package? I looked on their website and I can only find the individually sold ones. Are they only sold individually ?

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    1. You can order it through the Design Memory Craft store here: http://www.fabercastell.com/design-memory-craft-us/products/gift-sets-and-kits/GelatosColorGiftSet/770161
      You may also be able to find it on Amazon!

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